Air cleaner for flat knitting machines



Sept. 20, 1949. L. aMBRxANl AIR CLEANER FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES '7 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. l5, .1948

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Sept 2G 3949- 1 nMERlANu 2,482,670

AIR CLEANER FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHNES Filed sept. 15, 194s v v sheets-sheet 2 /nVe/7f0r- LOU/s /mbr/an/ .5y his altar/lays SePt- 20, 1949- L. IMBRxANn I 2,482,670

` AIR CLEANER FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed sept. 1s, 1948 '7 sheets-sheet s L. IMBRIANI AIR CLEANER FOR FLAT KNIT'I'ING MACHINES Sept. 20, 1949.

7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 13, 1948 n 'DI J Sept. 20, 1949. 1 IMBRIANI i 2,482,670

AIR CLEANER FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES '7 sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. l5, 1948 LIQ [n Ven for LOU/5 /mbr/Um 5y his afforneys Sept. 20, 1949. 1 IMBRIANI AIR CLEANER FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Sept. 13, 1948 l//7 Venfor 0a/s /mbr/'Un/ l 5y his aforneys AIR CLEANER FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 13, 1948 f '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 of theheds, needles and jacks.

Patented Sept. 2Q, 1949 UNI-reo PATENT .ein FOR FLAT KNFFTING H MACHINE-s Lo'uis .Imbriani @enana N. Y... .assigner t9 Frances.

Speler. .doing business es .Knitereft Corona, N, Y

Application September 13, 1948, Serial No. V49,006

invention relates to air cleaners for flat knitting machines. One :lof the great .difcultes vwith rat knitting machines -is Ithe accumulation It nhas heretofore :been `necessary .to stop the machines at interi/.als and .clean off :the lint .to vprevent `defects fin the faoric, breakage .of .parts lof the machines, etc. I haveinvented .an airecleaning mechanism suitable for nat knitting :machines which is zentirely .automatic and :will `not disturb the'movements of the :parts in any Way. )It is :characteristic .of .my air cleaner .that there are .one .or more air nozzles on the moving .ca-m carriage located :at points just Iahead of the lknitting mams to blow away the lint automatically at in- Vldoubleended needles moving back .and .forth :between -two parallel beds lying in the .same eplane, `.the needles being actuated 'by jacks which areecontrolledlby camsinthe usualcarriage moving .lcngthwisefback'and forthover the beds. It?.

ishould be understood, ihowever, that .in most of sits-aspects -the invention lis applicable to lany-.1iat

l#knitting machine having independent needles.

-In the drawings.

'Figure ll is a -view i-n elevation from the left e end `of Ythe pertinent `parts -of a flat v-purl knitting machine lin which my ai-r lcleaner jhas been incorgpereted;

' 'Figure -2 is a plan 4view of -so much of the left jend and 'the 'carriage of the machine of Fig. 1l

-as is necessaryto show the air connections Vand Vrcontrolsg Figure 3' is .a partial viewinelevation from the Afront 'of A'the machine of Figs. `l and 2,.showing "the ,carriage and Vtheair control trip ilever when 'f 'the valve slosed;

`-lijigiire 4 isa viewin elevation. of the .trip lever and associated yarn slide .with the valve open;

JFigure .,5 .is a. detail .plan `View showing the air... "line broken when 'the carriage has .been stopped byaebrokenjack; Y

Figure 6 is a .yiewinelevation corresponding IOF;

FigUIe ..7 iseaninverted.planwiewnf the cams ;.of ,the rfront bedlof -the-machine9f.-Figs. 1 .to y6 fshowing the position .of one of the air -no zzl es,

the mozzles beine fshewn ...laid ...dow-n. f-.Or oler-ily. .but :actually yflying sin .a vertical plane as f-.shown band-3 Figure .s lnew in .inverted .slee .eleneiiQ-n .of the Winkel .QalILQ LFig.- 7;

. Figure .91s e plan view .9i se innen ef left .end and .the nal-nage .of e modified leem ef machine containing four nozzles is geqgssg'y to shew .the air connection .and eeniflels n! lmy invention; the air .hose heine .diseolled from the carriage;

Figure 1.0 .is plan similar 't0 Fla-9 the medifleetlon showing the air .hose Genna@ .el Q0 the ycarriage and the :letter :beginning BQYQ .t0 the right; While Figure 1l ,is an inrented fnl-an new .ef @le knitting .cam :blocks .ef .the en@ heels .nf ine ineslation of Figs. '.9 and 1.0.

This application a .eentinnallenzln-nnnt ...of ed maenner 2.4,

my .abandnnel epnlieatien 19.47, Serial No.. @3.635, fier Air .elenner $.01 .let knitting .-machines.--

.l.8. As .already lmentiened. a straight er let .meting machine iadenned to @mene .nur .-stltehes .is sometimes as a s and .chine n .isa .nat .ned .machine ...aanneming .dell- ,b1e-enaed needles. .I :here shown laten neeslles. but .bearded needles .can .also be .nsen 1511011 .n Ymen-me has .two nel :needle and leali pees :1..2 lying parallel to, eeen .Otherfwillh ,n S .nce :thelis- `new/'een ,for `fthe v.'fablf.: .known .as hef-,threat IThe slots yl in the .beds anepnpesiie eahiner so that the needles'Sglmay move'frqrnfone hedgto `the other .at different @times thereby linking yplain A Jersey -fabriaor pu1; 1 1 stitche s,.,as mayjpe required. These :machines frequently here ieequard ymeelnanlsnn enrnorated in elle 1m9- `duce .nun stitch designing, ,lzntfrny nvenligngs Y .not ,concerned `.with @he Amesenee ...or .ahsene .ef jacquard mechanism. Forlenehneedle @steals a jack es infeaenef the fivto @beds and: ne nam for operating lthe needles Operates uti/.s 9.11 gthe jaelssi. .fEaehieekm -.u.s.ue,l. .e hump f1 and clutch Bfthet-letterib .nd-nntedztofelnge .and held e ;ho0k-.Qf2tl1e ..need1e .(seesFe. 7:).-

-To operaterthe jacks-,and needles nenefisettle 4usual carriage 9;.slldine-a1cnsson atop; :thermo needle Vheds'onslide bars i (1 'f'nis carn .arr age "9 is driven einem @the .main nlrve chain -H Ofethe machine through adrive arm Y lf2 .at-the ackof the machine f (esee gFig. -1-). dljii/.eslides on aqhorizontalbarfand is .connected toethe .main .drive chain flLl elena ifelse l 4 .rigdly .eonneeed 2te the drvearm. sT-his yokehas .anopen ve .icaI slot l5 `.beside the -main drive chain'sjgl. `in the opensletlies .a slide-fili pivntallyfa aehedtothe 5.5 enseigne-.ctms lnlssfetne shan. .slide 3 transmits the reciprocatory motion to the drive arm l2 as the chain moves forward continuously.

The drive arm i2 is connected to the carriage 9 by means of the usual pressure release mechanism l? which engages the free upper end i8 or" the drive arm. The release mechanism is rigidly associated with the carriage. The purpose or such pressure release means is to save the machine from damage when the carriage meets an obstruction, e. g., a misplaced jack or the like. Such pressure release means is adapted toy disconnect the free upper end I8 of the drive arm from the pressure release means when such an obstruction is met, so that the carriage can remain stationary while the driving means'continue until stopped by the following means. The free upper end |8 of the drive arm |2 is pivotally mounted in the drive arm and when the carriage is disconnected, as shown in Fig. 6, the free upper end I8 is above the release mechanism il'. The latter has been lowered into a position of contact with a rod I9 lying lengthwise of the machine. This contact closes an electrical circuit that shuts off the power. These parts are old and need no den tailed description.

The carriage contains the usual cams for operating the jacks in both beds. Disregarding any parts intended for jacquard purposes, the cams for each bed divide themselves into groups or cam blocks-the purl cam block for transferring needles from one bed to the other, and the main knitting block (see Fig. 7) Each main knitting cam block contains, in addition to various guard cams, the knitting cams for the production of plain or Jersey stitches. This main cam block is the longer one in lFig. 7 and is separated from the shorter or purl block by a space occupied by the usual gib 2|). The purl block is nearer the throat 3. The purl cam block, operating in conjunction with the usual purl stitch cam 2| in the main knitting cam -f block, cooperates, as usual, with the corresponding elements in the other bed to cause transfer of needles from one bed to the other when purl stitches are desired. The main cam in the purl cam block is occupied by the Links and Links or purl bridge cam 22. The outer ends or points 23 of this bridge cam serve to hold down the needles passing under it as the nat portions 23 of the needles come under the purl bridge cam. The two small side cams 25 near the throat 3 are known as latch-opener cams, and the central cam 23 in this block furthest from the throat is known as the Winkel cam. It is shown in inverted side elevation in Fig. 8. This cam is also known as a bridge It will be observed that the lower edge of the Winkel cam which faces downwardly lin the machine is hollowed out in a corner or notch 2'1. This notch is positioned about opposite the left part of the purl stitch cam 2| in the main cam block. As shown in Fig. 7, the purl bridge'cam 22 is hollowed out above the Winkel cam 2B in correspondence with the path that would be taken by a jack butt passing over the purl stitch cam 2|. It will be noted that this cutout corresponds to a cut-out 28 in a cover or main knitting bridge cam 29 in the main cam block. The cut-out 28 serves to guide the jack butts that are passing over the purl stitch cam 2|. The cover or bridge cam 29 also eneloses the path for jack butts passing the knitting cam 33 of the main knitting block. On either side of the main bridge cam 29 and also forming part ofthe cam surfaces for the jack butts are two cast-off cams 3| These cams extend outward from the throat of the machine a considerable distance beyond the main bridge cam 29 (see Fig. 7). Beside each of these cams are a guard cam 32 and a retracting guard cam 33. Opposite these cams 3|, 32 and 33 and beside the knitting cam 3G are other side cams 34, the path of the jacks therefore being enclosed from the time they enter between the revtracting guard cam 33 and the lower side cam 34 at one Vend ofthe block until they 'emerge between the companion cams at the other end.

It is noted that when a jack butt is riding along the lower or outer edge of a guard cam 32, the

' forward end of its needle is about even with the edge of the purl cam block close to the throat. When the jack cam -butt is riding along that portion of the surface of the main knitting cani Si! indicated by the reference character EBS in Fig. 7, the needle is in its cleared position, and it is in this position that the needle takes yarn. The location of the active yarn carrier lengthwise of the carriage is opposite the point marked 63. The yarn is not fed to a needle until after it has passed the purl stitch cam 2|. Therefore the yarn carrier at the position 6-6 is following the purl stitch cam 2| in the direction of movement of the carriage which is the one used to feed yarn. The knitting cam is the one which we have heretofore identified as cast-olf cam 3|. It is not necessary to describe the function of the purl stitch cam 2| and the other cams in the purl stitch cam block further than above explained, except to say that when a jack is pushed out by the purl stitch cam 2|, the forward hook of the needle is caught by the clutch 8 of the jack 3 in the opposite bed, and that by means of the notch 2'| in the Winkel cam 26 the jack which pushed the needle out to this position is able to release the needle as the jack in the other bed is guided down off. its own purl stitch cam, taking the needle with it.

The yarn carriers which I have identified in my drawings by the reference character 35 are mounted on slide bars 36 (Fig. 1). The yarns 3l' may come from any convenient rack or other holder to the left end of the machine passing through a guide bar 43 direct to the yarn carrier 35. The changing of yarn either at the ends of the machine or at'the midpoint is occasioned by the usual stops (not shown). The stops at the left end of the machine control two of the usual yarn slides 38, 39. For purposes of illustration, let us assume that the rear or upper slide 39 as it appears in Fig. 2 is for the regular body yarn and that the front or lower side 38 in this iigure controls what may be termed a fseparating thread. This separating thread is one which may be used between garments and can be drawn out later to separate the garments. I have shown these two yarn slides 38 and 39l so interconnected that only one of their yarns can feed at a time. To understand this arrangement it should be noted that when one of these yarn slides is in its left-most position in the machine, its yarn will not be fed. When one of these yarn slides is moved to the right to the position of yarn slide 39 in Fig. 2, the yarn controlled by that slide will begin feeding to the needles.

These two slides are carried on the upper frame of the carriage 9 (see Figs. l and 3). As shown in the plan view of Fig. 2, each slide 38, 33 has a short group of rack teeth 4I on its edge facing toward the other slide. Located between and engaging both sets of rack teeth is a pinion :32 fixed on the carriage but rotatable. Thus, if one of the slides is moved from inoperative to operative position, the companion slide will move in the .A opposite .direction to inoperative position. Unless engaged by some stop element these :yarn slides willmove "back and `forth with the carriage wthoutchanging their relationship.

*A stoparm il@ is located at one fend of the machine'which can beswung into the path of the yarn slides as the carri-age comes to the end of its movement. yThis is a customary means of changing the position of the yarn .slides when it is Adesired to change the yarn feeding. I have shown -a stop at only the left yend of the Amachine, but it vwill be obvious that stop arms at both ends could be used in carryingout my invention, if desired. The double stop arrnv43 is pivoted below the yarn slides and is moved from one position to another by a link 4v4t connected to one of the usual control rods running lengthwise of themachinet'o the usual chain controls 1at the right-end th-e machine. In Fig. 2 one'arm of the vdouble yarn stop arm 43 is in line with the slide 39, and the 'carriage being in its left-most position, this slide has been moved to the right into its yarnf-eedi-ng position. Therefore vthe yarn slide 38 has been moved by the rack and pinion 41,42 to theieft so that its yarn will not be feeding. vIt will :belobvious that as the carriage moves `toward the right of the machine, the yarn controlled by slide 39 will be fed to the needles and the yarn willc'also be fed to the `needles as the carriage vreturn-s to the left end of the machine. In the particular 'embodiment of my invention which I am describing, no stop arm will be in line with either slide 38 vor slide 39 'at the lright end of the machine.

It Will be obvious that if the stop arm 43 were swung until one of its arms is in the pathof the slide "38, then when the carriage 9 next comes to the left end lof the machine the cam slide 39 would be moved to a position 'where ts'yarn would begin to feed and that yarn would feed for one complete reciprocation. If, .on return to the left end of the machine from that reciprocation, 'the stop arm 43 were in position shown in Fig. 2, the yarn slide 38 would then be moved out ofits operative position and slide 39 moved into feeding position so that the yarn associated with slide 38 would have fed for one course in each direction of movement of the carriage. -With a stop. at the right end to move the slide 3'8, there would be only one or an cdd number of courses of the separating thread.

VAs indicated above, lint collects quite rapidly on the needle and needle beds of a purl knitting machine, and eventually that lintV will cause trouble either by making defects in the knitting or by clogging the machine so that vjack butts f break. For this reason it has heretofore been necessary to stop the knitting vand cle-an the machineperiodically. I have invented an air cleaner which is so arranged that it does not upsetl the knitting Voperation and will clean the machine automatically at regular intervals. In the first place, my air cleaner involves jth-e provision of a compressed air supply on the reciprocating carriage of the machine, and I will first describe how that air supply on the carriage is obtained.

From any desired stationary compressed air supplyV at the rear of the machine I connect a rubber hose or Vother flexible pipe 45 (see Fig. l). This hose is connected by means of a xed piece of pipe 46 on the drive arm I2. At the upper part ofthe drive arm l2 this pipe 46 is connecte-d swivellyto a horizontal length of pipe 41which carries the connection forward to a position Where it terminates swivelly in :a Valve socket -48 facing 4toward the `front-:of the :machina the fdlve arm l2,

6 socket :ismcuntedon'fthe free upper end; No! the .drive 'ann I2 Jandpreferably isabove the center ofthe pressure release 'mechanism for'the carriage drive. The swivelling of the pipe YIH is at rsuch-1an langle and length that Awhen the regular'pressure `release mechanism frees the 'care riage, aslshown lin Fig. 6, the .pipe '41 doeslnot interfere the free upper end |18 and the'pipe and socket "f48 'swinging upwardly. f This socket hase, valve in it similar-to that of an automobile tire valve ort'he like, .but much larger, and provides one side offabreaking point `forthefairy supply corresponding to the `breaking poiritibe-L tween the drive arm and thecarriage. Ihefpipe means 'to which it connects is carried by the carriage. 'Thereisifa short length of pipe 49 apprediablyisrnaller india'meter than the inside offthe socket 48 which is adapted to engage in thefv'alve socket and `provide air-tight connection when mounted the manner that I shall now describe.- Ascari be :seen9v thisshort pipe 49 is held horizontally facing toward the rear ofthe machine by anielbow piece -50 extending vertically clown--4 wardthrough avhorizontal plate 5-I1. 'This elbow piece 50 'is held `loosely in an open slot 52 inone end of 'the horizontal plate. The elbow piece-5@ not only extends through the -rf-lfiorizontal -f platet but extends horizontallyunder thejplateitofthe mid-point Where it Yis pivotally4V connected by meansof two 'nuts-53 'toa length 'of pipef54 projectingfupwardl-y through the middle of the plate. This upwardly-extending support pipe'54 vin turn is connected by elbows and pipes 55'horizontally across'the top 'of the carriage, 'then' downwardly along thefaror 'front side ofthe carriage and horizontally to the left end of'thecarriage by means-loffpipe 56 `where it terminates ina-nozzle 51 located above the front bedplate 2in a particular location fand 4manner which will bedescribed later. Y Takenoif the'piping`56 by a T is an extension 53 'which leads "back to the rear of the carriage; then valong 'the carriage toward the right to a positionpznear the right-'hand end where nit ter'- minate'sin a nozzle 59 overthe rear bed yI.

There isa coiled spring 69 on 'the supportpipe 54 which `tends to turn the horizontal platein a rcounterclockwise direction as the .parts A.are viewed vin plan `(see Fig. 5) In addition there is a'tension spring 6l lfrom the rear'or freeend of the horizontal plate 51 connected to 'any suita-ble ixed part of the carriage. This pulls the open slot -52 of the horizontal :plate 5l toward the valve socket 48 on the .upper :free end I3 of When `the `short pipe 49--is placed in the valve socket 48 these two :springs tend to keep the connection air-tight. When the connection is once broken by the :carriage becoming disconnected, the short pipe Will f' out ofthe socket 48 .and assume Vthe position shown Ain Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

` The compressed air preferably does notcome outof nozzles 51 and 59 continuously because Aof the presence of a valve 62, spring-pressed closed, located. in .a vertical portion offthe pipe 56 on the'front of the carriage preceding the nozzles. This valve is adapted to be opened by a trip .lever 6'3 pivotally mounted on a fixed .part ofthe car' riage. The pressure of the air tends to'closethe' valve. The upper end of this trip lever' extends upwardly A.alongside the' front yarn slide't'to `a positionslightly above the upper face of the 'yarn slide. ,"Mounted kon the upper Aface of this yarn slidef38= is 4a cam plate 64 extending laterally into the path of the upper end of the trip lever.

7 cam. plate issn neared thatir the yarn slide vas is moved to the right to the position in which its yarn will be feeding to the needles, the cam plate will slide over a roller 65 on the upper end of the trip lever and pivot that lever, causing the valve 62 to open. The valve will remain open until the yarn slide is moved to the left to its inoperative position. By arranging the yarn slide stop arms in the desired sequence, the air supply canbe fed to the nozzles at any desired regular intervals. I have found it a convenient interval to open the valve 62 for a complete reciprocation of the carriage every time a garment is completed and the separating thread controlled by yarn slide 39 is used. This gives a cleaning -by compressed air once in each direction of movement, in the particular manner that I will vnow describe.

I have found that the position of the nozzles has to comply 'with certain specic conditions in order that these nozzles may operate properly and not interfere in any way with the machine or its operation. I locate a nozzle over one of the knitting beds and ahead of the knitting cams. I have found it advisable to so locate the nozzle over the bed that is approximately above the midpoint of the double-ended needle-s at the time they vare passing under the nozzle. I locate a similarnozzle over the second bed in advance of the knitting cams in their direction of movement over that bed. In a at :purl knitting machine such as shown in the drawings in this application using latch needles, the front bed knits as the carriage moves from right to left and the rear bed knits from left to right so that the nozzles 59 in the rear bed is towards the right end of the carriage and the nozzle 51 in the front bed is toward the left end of the carriage.

In order not to disturb the jacks and needlesby the air blast, I have found it necessary also to locate the air blast at a point where the needles and jacks are held against longitudinal movement. This is one of the reasons why I locate the nozzles 51, 59 in a position which longitudinally of the carriage is only a short distance aheadof the knitting cams (see Fig. '7). It will be noted that the nozzle at the left of the carriage in the front bed is about opposite the guard cam 32 and at this point the jacks and needles cannot move longitudinally. The end of the needle is not projecting into the throat 3 of the machine. (The humpII on the jack at this point is under the gib 20 and therefore cannot release the needle, so that the jack and needle are locked against separation.) As indicated above, the nozzle is about opposite the at portion 24 at the mid-point of the needle at this time. By having it in this position and close to thebevelled point 23 of the purl bridge cam 22, I have found that the air coming from the nozzle will not cause the needle to tip up as it passes from under the nozzle because this flat portion 24 on the needle is held down by the point of the purl bridge cam 22. I have found that by locating a nozzle in this position the air currents are not very far from the yarn carrier. To avoid disturbing the yarn in any way, I have therefore found it preferable to tipV the nozzle away from the knitting cams and the active yarn carrier, and in the direction in which the carriage is moving. I have found that by locating it in the manner just described, a good cleaning operation can be obtained with an adequate safety margin against the various risks to which I have reierred. l

The operation of my novel air cleaner will now be set forth.

Assuming that the machine has been knitting in a reciprocatory manner with the yarn slides 3B, 39 in the position shown in Fig. 2, the last reciprocation with the slides so adjusted takes place by a movement to the right from the position shown in Fig. 2 and a return movement. While this is taking place, the double yarn carrier slide stop arm 43 has been moved from the idle position where it is not opposite either of the two yarn carriers, to a position in which one of its arms is in line with the left end of the front yarn slide 38 carrying the cam plate 64. As the carriage comes to the end of its stroke at the left, the stop arm 43 therefore pushes the yarn slide 38 to the right, simultaneously causing movement of the yarn slide 39 to the left by means of the racks 4I and pinion 42. The movement of the slide 38 to the right causes the cam plate 64 to push down the roller 65, turning the trip lever 63 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4. This opens the air valve 62 and the air begins to come out of the nozzles 51, 59. As the carriage moves to the right, the nozzle 59 in the back bed blows away the lint from in front of the needles, jacks and knitting cams in that bed. When the drive arm I2 reverses the direction of movement of the carriage, the nozzle 5I inthe front bed clears away the lint in front of the instrumentalities knitting in the front bed. At the end of this return stroke the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 2 because the yarn carrier stop arm 43 has in the meantime moved into a position where it is in line with the left end of the back slide 39. This pushes the back slide 39 into operating position, and the rack teeth 4I and pinion 42 act once more, withdrawing yarn slide 38 to the left. This disengages the cam plate 64 from trip lever 63 and the trip lever, under pressure of the air in the valve 62, resumes its position shown in Fig. 3. This shuts off the air supply and the air-cleaning operation ceases. It will be observed that all this takes place automatically at regular intervals according to whatever arrangement of yarns has been chosen by the operator. It will be obvious that a yarn slide could be used which was not needed for a knitting yarn if it was desired to have the cycle of air cleaning diiferent from all the yarn change cycles.

Assuming that a jack has gotten out of position and is struck by the carriage, such pressure will be exerted on the pressure release mechanism I1 as to cause the upper free end IS of the drive arm I2 to be driven out of its connection with the release mechanism, thereby disengaging the carriage. This disengagement, as above mentioned, will cause the connection II to move down into contact with the rod I9, and that being in the electrical power circuit, the power will be shut off and the machine stopped. Simultaneously with the breaking of the connection between the free upper end I8 of the drive arm I2 and the connection I'I on the carriage, the short pipe 49, as far as concerns movement longitudinally of the machine, will be swept out of the valve socket 48 as that socket moves ahead with the drive arm I2. The valve in the socket 48 will shut off the air supply and Jche parts will then be in the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11 I have shown a preferred modification of the embodiment of Figs. 1-8. In the modification the flexible hose which connects the stationary air supply to the carriage is coupled to the carriage only when the lint is being blown away; In addition, the mechanism on the *levell-iiiseeff'T) their air blast .is

enamoro jack-s as well -fas the needles. Therefore in `-my preferred embodiment nozzles are provided to re- `move the lint from Einiba'clrof the slots occupied by ktheiacks when the latter. are "in their forward position. These two additionalnozzles for clean- 1ing'the jacks are the nozzle`6'v1 in the -orward lbed Iand-thefno'zzle 'T59 in the yrear bedV 2, both shownv lin` Fig. 11, which are adapted to operate `inader'neath fthe' main knitting vcams '30 when the jacks are still in their fliorward position lafter knitting; These nozzlles -are formed by holes through the knitting -canis andare located at'such la' distance "from the throat i3 between the two -beds that when `theuie'edl-es are 'in 'theirforward position with their butts riding along on the t v directed into the Islots '115 in lbach roi vthe jacks. blow-ingthe lint while the vjacks rand needles are in their forward positions, the slots and .space runder-'the -cams `can be completely cleaned out 'without anyl complications. The air vsupply means mylpreferred'modification of Figs.:9, 10, and 11 is controlled `*by an -lectric switch 1'!) actuated by a wire '-I'I connected`-rto the yarn `carrier slide stoparm IIS-esce Figs.l2, .9, Yand 10). This elec- 'tr-icswitch 10 controls a roll of hose 12 and the furnishing of compressedair to `that roll of hose byI-neans of a solenoid air lvalve 13 attached to the stationary lair supply "14. The solenoid air valve is .connected-toioneend ofthe .hose by pip ing l15. For the purpose -of -connecting the hose tothe nozzles :on fthe carriage there is a receiving valve 16 on atheend ofthe .hose and a comvfplemental -rnale vtip '11 .on pipe 18 carried by the carriage. `This pipe is connectedlto distribution :pipes 19 leading to nozzles 251 iand5-9 which are shown in the-embodiment of Figs. 1 8. `In addition,1with thegassistance of a short :pi-pe et .consV necting the piping' '19 to the rear or jack nozzle 161 in the rf-ront bed '2, the :piping 1&9 connects'the :rear or jack Lnozzle Ato the r-ear bed I of the air supply. This can be seen in '11. These nozzles 61, 59 actually terminate .as holes through the main knitting .cams lat locations which, .considering v.the direction .of .knitting of the tw beds,v will ibe :seen to be :opposite the ylatter .part

of the .travel lof the needles in their forward -vposition during .the knitting operation. In Fig. '1l

l'the l.purl .stitch .cams 12| have Vbeen .shown inserted, but .it will .be obviousY that the cleaning operationcan be carr-ied out regardless of the position of those purl .stitch cams.

' Turning vnow to the connections between the hose and the piping 18, the complemental valve andI tip 16, 11, of course, `have ythe usual valve arrangement ywhereby when the two are pressed together the air can flow through from the hose to the piping 18.

I will now describe Vthe fparts which under the control of the electric switch 1B cause the rubber hose to be .connected to the carriage only when it is desired to blow the lint and to automatically disconnect the rubber -hose at the end of one or more reciprocations of the carriage. rIhe hose is carried on `a reel 8| which contains a spring (not shown) tending to keep the hose 4rolled up on the reel, In its fully retracted position .shown in Fig. 9, the `cornplenrental.air fittin'gs 16, 11 can engageeach other, butthere is nothing to keep them in engagement during .the normal operation of themachine. Since the solenoid air valve 13 keeps the compressed air shut .off 'from the 'hose during normal operation of the machine when not blowing flint, this contact -be- :tween the fittings 16,*11does no harm. When it is desired to connect `the two iitt-ings, theplunger'32 vmounted in a cylinder 83 in a direction parallel to the Vfittings comes into zaction. The cylinderi is 'connected to the piping 115 between the solenoid air -valve 13 and the hose reel 8l.

Therefore whenthe actuating wire 1l turns on Athevelect'ric switch -10 and ythe solenoid'va1ve`13 opens the air supply, the plunger is projected in the .direction of movement vof the beds. It en- ;gages against a 4plate 84 which carries the receiving vvfitting 16 and the end of the hose.V The plate, resting on the carriage support 88, slides toward the pipe iitting 11 on the carriage and contact maintain-ed between the elements 16, 11 for some little distance until the plunger is at its extremeoutermost position. Also mountedvon kthe plate 841s a latch d5 complementally shaped to a latch S'mounted on the pressure `release means I1 for the carriage. I yhave shown the latch 86 ixedly mounted .on the pressure release means I1, and it will be obvious that since 'the 4pressure release means through vthe drive arm 9| travels with the carriage, if the two `latches are engaged then the Contact between the elements and 11 for the air supply will be maintained. The 'latch 8.5 on the Yplate 814 is pivotallyrmounted and pressed into engaging position with the latch 86 by a spring 81. lNormally the latch 85 is held up vout of lcontact with the latch 86 by means of a bevel cam 89 fixed on the stationary cylinder 73:3 by virtue of a roller :9U on the 'latch 85. The :bevel .cam 89, whose real function is to unlatch parts 85, 86 at the end of a reciprocation, is ofsuch length'that vthe roller 90 ridesoff the end of the cam before the plunger 82 comes to iits extreme outermost position and therefore the spring 811presses the latch 85 into engagement with the latch 85 'before the two Vseparate and the hose Ais carried 'out with the :movement of the carriage to' Athe other end of lthe Vmachine and back with the spring in 'the reel .8| rolling up the hose `as the .carriage returns. Upon return of the carriage the roller 9E) riding up on the bevel cani S9 '-disengages the 'latches 85, 8B by lifting' the latch 85, the air supply being shut -off and the plunger therefore yielding to the spring in the hose reel.

rIt will be observed, therefore, that whereas in Fig. 9 due to the fact that lthe yar-n carrier slide stop arm 43 is in its forward position away from the hose 12 `with theelectric switch 10 open, the roller @Il Yon Ythe bevel cam 89 and the carriage reciprocates without the hose and the nozzles being connected up. In Fig. 10, where the stoparm f1.3 is moved toits rea-rmost position, the plunger 82 has pushed the hose out, maintaining contact between the elements l@ and .11 until ait-er the roller 9i! has ridden off the cam 8B, and therefore, the drive arm SI, which is propelling the carriage, will continue to carry the hose 12 with it as it reciprocates.

The timing of the blowing of the lint in this modication is 'similar to that in the embodiment foi 1-8'. `When the separating vthread cornes into'use the pattern controls on the machine swing the stop arm 43 .toward 'the rear `bedactuating the electric switch 1I! and the solenoid air valve 13 with actuation of the other elements as yabove described. The blowing of the lint therefore 'can occur. throughout a complete reciprocation. It is then cut off because the stop arm e3 moved .away from the .closed position Aof the electric switch before completion of the A*iiat knitting machine and especially the dinicult problem of cleaning a purl knitting machine in `such way as not to upset the jacks, needles, and yarns in their operation, and that this is done automatically at controlled intervals, The eniciency of such machines is very much increased by providing this cleaning mechanism because, lacking it, it is necessary to take the machine out of operation for a considerable period of time at frequent intervals in order to clean it.

I claim:

1. A flat knitting machine in which there are independent needles, one 0r more beds containing the needles, a cam carriage and means adapted to move the carriage back and forth lengthwise of the bed, in combination with means providing a Compressed air supply on the carriage fand one or more nozzles connected to the air supply means and associated with the knitting cams on the carriage to blow lint away.

2. In a nat knitting machine according to claim 1, the combination of yarn change means and a valve for the air supply controlled by the yarn change means adapted to cause intermittent operation of the nozzle.

3. In a at knitting machine according to claim 1, the incorporation in the air supply means of flexible hose and a stationary air supply connected to the flexible hose whereby the hose adjusts the stationary air supply connection to the movements of the cam carriage.

4. A flat knitting machine according to claim 1 in which the air supply means has a stationary source of air supply and connecting means adapted to connect the supply source to the reciprocating carriage only when it is desired to blow away lint.

5. A flat knitting machine according to claim 4 in which there is yarn change means controlling the connecting means.

6. A flat knitting machine according to claim 4 in which there are a hose reel, hose on the reel and complementa] couplings on the hose and carriage to connect up the air supply.

7. A fiat knitting machine according to claim 6 in which there are complemental latches associated with the hose coupling and carriage, in combination with a plunger controlled by the yarn change means to position the hose latch for engagement with the carriage latch.

8. A flat knitting machine according to claim '7, in combination with a stationary latch release adapted to engage one of the latches, whereby the hose is disconnected at the end of a reciprocation of the carriage.

9. A nat knitting machine according to claim 8, in combination with a cylinder containing the plunger and connected to the air supply, and an air valve between the air supply and the cylinder controlled by the yarn change means, whereby the turning on of the air in the hose actuates the plunger, causing latching of thehose'to'the carriage and blowing away ofthe lint.

10. A purl knitting machine according to claim 1 in which there are both independent needles and jacks in the needle bed or beds and there are one or more nozzles located ahead of the knitting cams and one or more nozzles located so as to blow below the jacks.

11. A purl knitting machine according to claim 10 in which the nozzle or nozzles for blowing lint away from the jacks are positioned at a point where the jacks are advanced and the nozzles -blow in back of them.

12. A purl knitting machine according to claim 11 in which the nozzle or nozzles for blowing lint away from the jacks are so positioned as to also blow lint from between the bed and the cams.

13. In a flat knitting machine according to claim 1, the positioning of a nozzle so that it is tipped away from the knitting cams and the active yarn carrier.

14. In a iiat knitting machine according to claim 1, the positioning of the nozzles so that they blow lint away from the knitting cams on both directions of movement of the carriage.

15. A flat knitting machine according to claim 1 in which one or more of the nozzles connected to the air supply means are ahead 0f the knitting cams on the carriage.

16. A flat knitting machine according to claim 15 in which there are two compressed air nozzles each located on the carriage ahead of the knitting cams in a different direction, whereby lint is 'blown away from the cams on movements of the carriage in both directions.

17. A flat knitting machine according to claim 15 in which there are two needle beds, in combination with two ycompressed air nozzles on the ,.carriage, one over each bed, ahead of the knitting cams, ladapted to blow lint away on movements of the carriage in both directions.

18. In a flat knitting machine according to claim 1, the provision of a valve on the carriage in the air supply means and a trip lever adapted to release the air intermittently.

19. In a flat knitting machine according to claim 18, a plurality of yarn change slides mounted on the carriage and stop arm means for operating the slides, in combination with a cam plate on one of the slides, a trip lever operable by the cam plate and a valve operated by vthe trip lever to release the air intermittently.

20. In a flat knitting machine according to claim 19, the arrangement of the parts so that the valve is open when the slide carrying the cam plate is in yarn-feeding position.

2l. In a flat knitting machine according to claim 20, two yarn carriers, two yarn slides adapted to control the putting of the yarn carriers into operation and their removal, said two yarn slides being so associated that the putting of one into action causes the removal of the other,

and yarn carrier stop arm means at one end of the i machine adapted to push the slides into action selectively, in combination with a valve on the air supply means mounted on the carriage, a trip lever for the valve pivoted on the carriage and cam means on one of the slides to operate the trip lever, whereby the selection ot the yarns gives automatic operation of the air cleaner for one or more complete reciprocations of the carriage at controlled intervals.

22. In a nat knitting machine according to claim 1, an arm to drive the cam carriage in revalve connection of a spring-pressed pivotal 10 mounting for the pipe whereby the pipe is normally spring-pressed in the socket but rocks out of the socket when the drive arm and carriage are disconnecting.

24. A purl knitting machine in which there are double-ended needles and two flat needle beds, a cam carriage adapted to move back and forth lenghtwise of the beds for knitting, in combination with a supply means providing compressed air on the carriage and one or more nozzles on the carriage attached to the air supply means adapted to blow lint away.

25. In a purl knitting machine according to claim 24, the positioning of one or more of the nozzles opposite a point where the needles and jacks are held against longitudinal movement by cams and the needles are not lying across the throat between the beds.

26. In a purl knitting machine according to claim 24, the combination of a purl cam block on the carriage adjacent the knitting cam block for each bed, the nozzle being so located that there is a cam in the purl cam block adjacent the nozzle adapted to hold needles from tipping up just after passing the nozzles.

LOUIS IMBRIANI.

No references cited. 

